Germany’s relationship with patriotism? Complicated. During big football tournaments, it has become a tradition to discuss about displaying the German flag. Just in time for the European Football Championship, our authors wanted to know: What do young Germans think about national symbols? To find out, Marlene delved into the debate and its historical origin. Meanwhile, Yannis captured young voices on the street.
Patriotism Around the World
During my travels, I have encountered various expressions of patriotism. I saw Americans proudly wearing “I love my country” shirts at Walmart and Ukrainians bringing their national flag when traveling abroad. However, my most memorable moment was a late-night subway ride in Lyon. After France’s victory at a Rugby match people were singing La Marseillaise with such enthusiasm that the car trembled. As a German, I feel unfamiliar with such overt displays of love and pride for my country. Patriotism is no part of the German education system like the Pledge of Allegiance in the US, nor is it celebrated on national holidays. This approach to patriotism might seem unconventional to citizens of other countries.
Family-friendly Patriotism
Kailey is a Canadian college student, majoring in Creative Writing (Photo: private).
In many countries, patriotism becomes especially visible during national holidays. For example, Canada Day is celebrated on July 1. The Canadian government’s homepage presents the holidays as a joyful event where Canadians ‘show their pride in their history, culture, and achievements.’ One would never find such a sentence on the homepage of the German government. Kailey (22), a Canadian college student, says about the festivities: ‘We all wear red and light fireworks at night. It’s usually a family event like a parade”. For her, patriotism serves a purpose: “I think there’s a good sense of community that patriotism can offer (…) Without it, many people would lose a piece of their identity and culture”. However, Kailey does not share the same sense of pride as many Canadians because of issues such as the lack of mental health services, the disregard for Indigenous needs, or the ongoing housing crisis. Overall, she is critical of patriotism:
Nothing to Celebrate in Germany
In contrast to Canada, German Unity Day, celebrated on 3 October, looks very different. It marks the day East and West Germany became one unified nation again in 1990. But it is not a day anyone watches fireworks in the park, paints their nails black, red, and gold, or waves the German flag. Most simply enjoy their day off. A display of patriotism, like it is typical in Canada, would be unthinkable on most days. There is one exception: Football Cups. Similarly to Serbia, as EUSTORY History Campus author Petar explains in his article, football is an important identification tool for many Germans.
(Don’t) Put Your Flag up!
Claudia Roth, state minister for culture and media, is not a big fan of the German flag (Photo: Stephan Röhl, https://flickr.com/photos/44112235@N04/51875412798)
A quick throwback to July 2014, when Germany won the Football World Cup: During the tournament, radio channels played Pitbull up and down: “Put your flags up in the sky!” The song, We Are One, became a global hit when it was adopted as the official anthem of the World Cup in Brazil. “I truly believe that this great game (…) will help unify us because we are best when we are one”, said Pitbull. Waving one’s flag as a way to unite? In Germany not everyone agrees. The heated debate about national symbols and sports in the media that resurfaces every few years is an excellent example. German politician Claudia Roth, state minister for culture and media, views the display of the German flag during the event with caution. “We Germans would do well to exercise restraint in our national self-adulation”, said the member of the Green Party.
A German Summer Fairytale
For many Germans, the issue is not as clear-cut as it is for Roth. But there are reasons why patriotism remains a touchy subject. Ever since the horrors of the Second World War and the national socialist regime, many people have been uncomfortable expressing national feelings. This attitude is unique among industrialized countries, says historian Harald Biermann. For most people, it was not until the Football World Cup 2006, hosted by Germany, that the German flag became a popular decoration – at least for the duration of the tournament. For many Germans, this marks a memorable milestone in the history of postwar patriotism, even if only limited to football. Until today, the euphoria of summer 2006 has been imprinted into the nation’s collective memory as the “Summer Fairytale” and even made it into the official Adidas commercial for the European Football Cup 2024.
A New Generation of Fans
Marlene and her siblings watching the World Cup 2014 with self-made fan hats (Photo: private).
Summer 2006 had a lasting impact: most Germans like seeing their flag in public today. Only a good quarter of people do not approve of it, according to a survey from April 2024. However, most of Germany’s youth neither have clear memories of 2006 nor had even been born. I have only faint memories of my 4-year-old self, looking for pretty snail shells in the garden while my parents watched a game at the stadium. My generation grew up with the German team’s victory in 2014 and witnessed the following rather disappointing tournaments on TV. As children of the 21st century, we only learned about the Second World War in school or through stories of our grandparents. We have never experienced the post-war decades when showing national symbols was even more frowned upon. So, how do young people in Germany feel about the national colors today? My co-author Yannis captured some voices on Germany’s streets.
What do young Germans think about the German flag?
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How Patriotic is the Youth?
Fiona studies at the University of Marburg (Photo: private).
According to the 2024 survey, people aged between 18 and 24 see the public display of the German flag more critically than most people. This confirms my everyday impression on university campuses, social media, or at parties where many cannot relate to anything patriotic. Why is this the case? Fiona (21), a German university student, thinks: “Especially in Germany people fear that this could lead to nationalism and supremacy ideologies as it did in the past. Thus, I would not call myself a patriot of Germany, but surly I spare some love for my hometown and the place I grew up”. However, nationalistic sentiments make her uncomfortable: “When people tell me that their country is the best, the most beautiful, the most powerful, and has the best culture, I cannot handle it as it is so far from my background. It also makes me suspicious because I feel it is impossible to combine all the good somewhere”.
What the Young Left Thinks…
Especially in the months leading up to a major football tournament, newspapers and news portals are full of opinion pieces on patriotism. However, emotional online debates are not always a good indicator of what the average citizen thinks. It is often political (youth) organizations that are particularly vocal about their views in public and tend to hold more extreme views. For example, in the eyes of Linksjugend [‘solid], the German flag symbolizes “World Cup nationalism” that excludes migrants. The youth organization is close to the Left Party and already called for destroying publicly visible flags during the 2018 tournament. The Grüne Jugend, youth organisation of the Green party, has taken a similar stance as Roth, calling on fans to take down their flags in the past. To them, patriotism is just a variant of its evil big brother, nationalism.
… and What Young Conservatives Think
Meanwhile, representatives of the Students’ Union, a youth organization of Germany’s largest opposition party, CDU, campaign to fly the flag in schools all year round. “It stands for the central values of our Basic Law, it stands for the unification of Europe in peace and freedom”, said state chairman Adrian Klant back in 2019. The Union’s main argument: national symbols should not be left to appropriation by right-wing extremists.
History of the German Flag
Hambacher Fest 1832, lithograph by Erhard Joseph Brenzinger (Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hambacher_Fest_1832_001.JPG, CC0)
The Origins
Even historians cannot confidently say where the colors of the German flag originated. After the liberation wars against France in 1815, black, red, and gold were said to resemble the uniforms of the Lützow Volunteer Corps, who fought against Napoleon. The flag gained popularity with the national movement in the first half of the 19th century. Important milestones were the Wartburg Festival 1817 and the Hambach Festival 1832. By the time of the revolution of 1848, it had become a symbol of national unity and bourgeois freedom.
‘Black-red-mustard’
However, when the German Empire was founded in 1871, the popular flag was replaced by black, white, and red. After the First World War, Germany became a democracy for the first time. The government recovered the traditional colors of 1848 as they represented democratic values. However, monarchists and national socialists actively fought not only the democratic system but also the German flag, which they disparaged as ‘Black, red, mustard’. During the national socialist regime (1933 – 1945), the flag was replaced by the Swastika.
The Post-War Flag
Finally, in 1949, the Parliamentary Council voted for black, red, and gold to become the official colors of the Federal Republic of Germany, the western part of the divided country. The German Democratic Republic adopted the colors, too, but added the socialist hammer and compass emblem. When the country was reunited in 1990, black, red, and gold remained the colors of modern Germany’s flag. The Bundestag writes on its homepage: ‘Today, the colors black, red, and gold are regarded nationally and internationally without controversy and represent a country that is open to the world and respected on many counts.’
Curtains up for new Debates
Just in time for the European Cup, discussions in Germany are flaring up again. The fact that Nike, instead of Adidas, a German brand, will soon be the football team’s sponsor drew much criticism. Even politicians formerly known as skeptical of anything patriotic suddenly called for more ‘locational patriotism’. The Berlin police sparked another debate when it forbade officers from displaying the German flag on their vehicles when escorting the team buses on game day. These examples show that even in 2024, the issue of national pride in sports will not be resolved for a long time in Germany.
No Patriotism, no Solution?
No one can tell how the country’s relationship with the topic will progress. Although Fiona does not call herself patriotic, she thinks that abandoning patriotism entirely is unrealistic:
The meaning behind patriotic symbols is not static or set in stone. It changes over time. The German flag is an excellent example of that: It began as a symbol of a liberal movement, was abandoned during undemocratic periods, but is often viewed critically by liberal parties today. But patriotism as “pride for one’s country” leaves what the citizens are proud of up to the citizens. But how can one shape the meaning of a symbol if one does not use it?
The Future of German Patriotism
No matter how Germany’s relationship with patriotism progresses, today’s youth will undoubtedly play an essential part, as have young generations before them. The parents, employees, and bosses of tomorrow will shape how common it will be during football games to decorate in national colors or sing the national anthem in front of the TV. But first and foremost, they will decide what the German flag will stand for, even outside football. Maybe another German Football Fairytale will play a part in it?
